


The Things That Go Bump In The Night

by ProngsAndPens



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The 100, clexa - Fandom
Genre: Also Lexa doesn't die, F/F, F/M, I try to make a cool story, M/M, it's fun, there are too much characters for me to type them all in so...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-10-01 02:45:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10178963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProngsAndPens/pseuds/ProngsAndPens
Summary: Lexa is the Slayer, the defender of humanity from what lurks in the dark. She and her watcher Anya make sure the streets of Ton DC - and the rest of the world - stay as safe as possible from harm. But an encounter with a new enemy will change their routine, and make them meet new people and allies neither of them had ever thought they'd meet, and change the lonely life they had been living so far.





	1. Routine

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress, and I'll try updating it as often as possible. Make sure to let me know in the comments or on my blog (link at the end the most recently published chapter) what you enjoyed reading (if you did) and what you hope to see happen in the future. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa's life, though as hectic as the life of a Slayer can be, is actually rather stable. For now.

_Being human is having a routine,_ Lexa thinks. It's true.

She wakes up every morning to train, before heading to a job she doesn't exactly enjoy, but needs, to later train some more before heading out and patrol the dark streets. It's her duty.

Some would call her an insomniac vigilante wannabe, or a trouble-seeker.

She is none of that.

Lexa is a shield, the border between humans and everything else. She is the protector of humanity, the saviour of countless lives so far.

She is the _Slayer._

She has but one duty, to make sure the big bad doesn't harm people who have no idea of its existence. And so she collapses on her bed every morning as the sun rises, to get woken up a couple of hours later by her watcher, to practise and train, and then to go to work after a shower.

_Routine._

If she didn't have that, she'd be lost. She lets her thoughts wander to what she learned the day before during her morning Tai Chi session. Nothing out of the ordinary again, simply required knowledge for a Slayer. After Tai Chi comes fight practise, first hand-to-hand and then with various weapons. The only two things that were unpredictable in Lexa's life were, the fights she had when training and what she encountered out at night. Anya, her watcher, always changed her attack strategy so Lexa couldn't predict what would happen; if Lexa encountered anything bad at night, she made sure it would be completely taken care of. Which meant that the monsters, whatever they could be, were promptly removed from the face of earth if they had the misfortune to be caught by Lexa.

Of course, some were harder than others, but in case Lexa couldn't manage to get rid of them before sunrise, she'd track them during the day until they were gone, and then her routine would get back to normal. As normal as Lexa's life could be, anyways.

 “Lexa. Focus."

“I am, actually. Focused and eager to kick some ass.” Lexa answered, maintaining a gym position, not yet shaking from the exertion of her muscles, though she knew it was coming. She had woken up on the wrong side of the bed today. Memories she’d much rather forget, had shaken her awake even though the tiredness she had been feeling should have been enough to keep her hibernating until Anya came. The lack of sleep and the flashbacks were having a very negative effect on her nerves and even though she knew that Anya would neither understand nor deserve her anger, Lexa didn’t have enough energy to fight it.

“No, you're not,” Anya sighed. “your energy doesn't come from you being focused, it comes from anger, and there is a difference.”

“Will anything I face survive due to that difference?” Lexa snapped. “No. So I don't really care.”

It was true, after all. Her anger would actually make her stronger, the hatred she held now for anything that was nocturnal went beyond the professionalism she used to have. It fuelled her ever move, her every attack, and she was now more deadly than she used to be.

“You're letting your emotions get the best of you,” Anya tried to reason with her. “That's a weakness. A demon clever enough will be able to use it against you and make you lose.”

Lexa sighed, irritated, and quit the position she was in to pace around, throwing her arms in the air, “You're not the one outside fighting demons, Anya! I am. And I'm paying the price for that. Being what I am, it's a burden more than a gift. I can't have a normal life, nor a job I’d truly enjoy. I just have this routine, turning me into a warrior when all I wanted was to be normal! I could have had friends, a chance to have a family, so much! And now, I have nothing. "

Anya looked down. The words _“Me, you have me.”_ burned in her throat, but her lips remained shut.

Anya was right, of course. But it's too soon. Lexa knows that her watcher wants to help her and keep her safe above all, but it's one thing to heal physical wounds and another to mend ones in the heart. Both of them know it, but no matter how hard Anya tried to get Lexa to talk about what happened, it was to no avail. The memory was too fresh, it hurt too much.

And so Anya did the only thing she could do for Lexa; she taught her to distance herself from anything that would make her feel something. If Lexa couldn't feel, then the pain and heartbreak that were bestowed upon her would fade away faster. And right now, Lexa could suppress it. Duty comes before all.

Anya was not happy about that situation, but it was all she had so far, until Lexa decided that she needed to talk about what happened in order to get over it. The quietness of the morning settled in as Anya refused to answer Lexa’s words.

“I'm sorry,” Lexa sighed, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

She didn’t like talking to her watcher that way. However, sometimes the anger that these memories brought when she had too much time to think clouds her mind and she doesn't think as pragmatically as she should.

“It's alright, Lexa,” Anya answered calmly. Lexa needed to feel that right now. Calm. “Better to let it out, so you can work through it.”

Her face was set in stone. No matter how long Lexa had been around her, she still couldn't read that woman. But she did trust her, as hard as it was to admit it sometimes.

“Can we...” Lexa started, hesitantly.

Anya felt the familiar tug of hope in her heart, “ _Maybe,”_ she thought _, “maybe this was the time when Lexa finally speaks with her, tells her everything?”_ she waited, raising an eyebrow at her protégé.

“Can we do more fighting today? I'd really like to let that out, as you said,” Lexa continued.

If Anya felt anything, she didn't show it. She nodded her head and went to gather the equipment she needed. The two girls spent the rest of the training time fighting hand to hand, Anya with her protections and Lexa giving it her all. At the end of the session, both were drenched in sweat, and Lexa felt calmer.

“Good job,” Anya said.

Lexa felt her chest slightly swell with pride. Anya was a very demanding watcher, and compliments were rare. She bowed her head towards her mentor, headed inside, and upstairs to take a shower before going to work. When Lexa was done, Anya cleaned herself up as well.

Both worked during the day to afford the place they lived in and the daily necessities. Anya was a bartender and Lexa served tables in a small restaurant. The jobs had been chosen because both jobs required to work amongst people, making it possible for them to listen to conversations, ramblings, and therefore getting information. Lexa would come home in the evening every day to find some ready-to-microwave food Anya had made for her, before she herself would head out to her own workplace. Anya's job would always become more active during the evening so in the middle of the night she'd head straight back home, preparing some food again, reading books and sleeping in short phases.  Waking up later when Lexa returned home, always hungry, and sometimes slightly battered and bruised, tending to her possible wounds, and talking about the various happenings of the night.

_Routine._


	2. Help Will Find You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa's fight takes a turn for the worse, but some people decide to help her. The question is, who?

It was a night like any other. Lexa was used to them and sometimes she thought that she was spending more time beneath the stars than the sun, though her wind and sun tanned skin says otherwise. With a smile at the corner of her lips, Lexa recalled the events from a few days ago:

Anya had been working harder than usual and Lexa wondered why. Until she was presented with an extra amount of money for her birthday, which allowed her to get the tattoos she dreamt of. She was impressed by how much Anya knew. Even Lexa had forgotten her own birthday, yet Anya always knew when it was, surprising her right as she stepped out of bed with the present she had secretly bought. It was moments like these Lexa wanted to hug her mentor, but she refrained. She simply bowed her head at Anya, slightly smiling, and her friend did the same in return. She was sporting her new tattoos now, and was quite proud of how they turned out.

Since then she was going out at night for longer periods of time. She and Anya had heard word in the streets that there had been more “accidents” happening; more people getting attacked by “animals”.  Both Lexa and Anya knew what those terms meant and immediately started stocking up on holy water, stakes, and crosses. So far, Lexa hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, but she had taken it upon herself to patrol even more than usual. She chose to quit her job right away in order to investigate and ensure people's safety. Eventually she found some vampires, clever and hiding, but not good enough to beat or elude her. She disposed of them every time, quickly enough so that the humans that were attacked survived. Anya had instantly applied for the now vacant position, working the equivalent of a double shift, to provide for the both of them. The two girls felt that they were growing apart more and more each day and night that passed, but neither of them could stop it. Anya was still taking care of Lexa whenever she could, but would find herself being woken up by the younger girl, instead of the other way around. Lexa was feeling bad for the exhaustion of her friend. She knew Anya would never admit she was tired, even with all the obvious signs; she was fading: dark circles under her eyes barely hidden by some makeup, dark blonde hair less luscious, constantly being pulled back in a bun or ponytail, instead of framing formerly strong traits that had become worn out with fatigue. Anya was still strong, of course, as she always has been and Lexa found herself wondering when her mentor was not. She never admitted to being tired becasue she knew where her duties laid. It was now the middle of fall and nights were growing longer. There was just no other way.

Lexa spun around as something in the air had changed. A normal human wouldn't have noticed anything and even if they had, they wouldn't think much of it, but Lexa knew better. A second later, a little to her left, a dark figure moved in the shadows. Lexa stood perfectly still, her mind racing with no signs of it outside. She knew where her stake was and could take it out in a split second. She had a silver dagger up her sleeve and concealed above her ankle. And she knew she had holy water tipped darts on the inside of her jacket, as well as silver throwing knives hung up at her sides.

She owed most of her inventive weapons to Anya. Anya had read many books, gone to many museums, sketching every inventive and interesting weapon she could see. Sometimes even designing some herself, and/or to a man named Gustus. She had never truly met him, only seeing him once in awhile when he was bringing crates to their place. Anya would give him drawings or descriptions of her ideas, and he used his skills to bring them to life. Technically, since they killed it was used for quite the opposite. The darts were a really great addition: light, with a hollowed end filled with holy water, and great for incapacitating enemies. He truly was a skilled man and Lexa made sure to say 'hi' to him every time she did see him. She wanted to take the time to properly thank him, sadly he often came over when Lexa was patrolling or working. However, she knew that when they would finally get the time to talk, she’d make sure to thank him.

Another movement slightly above her signaled that there was more than one attacker. She listened to what would seem like silence and started counting. A ball of tension in the pit of her stomach was growing every time she added one to the number of enemies she knew were there. This would be a tough fight. There was a whole group of them, hiding in the shadows waiting to attack. Lexa was on guard, gritting her teeth, waiting. She caught movement in the corner of her eye and let muscle memory and instincts take over, honing her senses, throwing one of the knives she had into the vampire's skull with deadly precision. It wouldn't kill him, but the burn left him on the ground, squealing in pain, attempting to get it out but failing, just to let go because it burnt his hand. Another knife ended up in the chest of a vampire trying to attack her from behind. The shadows stood silent for a few seconds. The vampires second-guessing their group attack after having been exposed first-hand to her deadly skills. Lexa used that opportunity to send two of her darts in the hearts of vampires who thought themselves well-hidden, but weren't.

When she first tried the darts, she wasn't entirely sure that the small darts, however inventive, would kill a vampire. It turned out when shot, while piercing the hearts of the enemies and they were leaking holy water into the created hole. It could incapacitate them for a very long time as it did now.

 _'Four down, eleven to go,'_ Lexa thought.

Then what she hoped wouldn't happen, happened.

A roaring voice in the shadows shouted,  _“Attack!”_

With a battle-like cry, the remaining vampires all moved against Lexa at the same time. Her brain started burning up. She knew what she was able to do, it wasn't the first time against group doing a synchronised attack, but this time was different. They were organised, moving as a whole instead of each one separately.

Lexa was in danger.

She got her stake out, slipping her free hand into her pocket for a second, grabbing the silver brass knuckles she had asked Gustus to make. She pushed away her instincts screaming for her to run away because there were too many and prepared herself for battle.

She was fully aware that she was very likely to die, but she didn't let it get to her. She couldn’t. With the hand not holding the stake, she threw a couple more knives and darts, but the vampires she got before must have been overzealous. Now that the others knew about it, they were able to avoid them, and were getting dangerously close. Lexa sighed internally.

She wasn't afraid to die, it came with the job, but still. The vampires attacked and Lexa didn't have any time to reflect anymore. She fought to the best of her abilities. She was overwhelmed but holding her own, managing to push back the vampires, and scattering them so that she wouldn’t be under a dome of fangs and blows.

The fight went on for a couple minutes which seemed like eternities. Lexa had killed some of the attackers, but she was growing tired, out of breath, as well as battered and bruised; a problem which the vampires were not feeling. One of them managed to disarm her, tumbling onto the ground with her, holding her arms out, and pinning her body to the ground, under his legs. With a predator-like smile, he headbutted Lexa, smacking her head on the ground in the process, before going for her throat.

He didn't get the the chance to bite. With a start and a surprised stare, he turned to dust in front of Lexa's eyes. It wasn't the biggest surprise since Lexa's stake had gone through his chest, flying into another's, and then a third's. The vampires backed away, put off by the arrival of a new enemy. Lexa, trying to gather her thoughts together after having had her head slammed on the ground, was having a hard time making out who saved her. That is until the vampires broke out of their bewildered state, and attacked again.

Lexa quickly noticed that whoever it was, they were human. When the stranger wielding her stake and fighting the vampires off was violently hit by one of the vampires, their hood was pulled back, revealing dark blonde hair and well-known traits.

 _'Anya,'_ Lexa's heart skipped a beat, the first question running though her mind, ' _What was she doing here? '_

Lexa tried to get up, but the ringing pain in her head made it difficult for her to even stand properly. The vampires were inching towards Anya, who had been thrown against a wall and was now unconscious. Lexa was trying her best to fight off the ones who decided to go back to attacking her, meanwhile fighting off the reality that Anya might die. She didn't want to come to terms with it, but she knew the chances were high for it to happen. Maybe, if she were in her best state, she'd have been able to do something, but there, unarmed and wounded, she couldn't.

Suddenly, hooded figures fell down around them while two ran in from the entrance of the alleyway. The remaining vampires were taken down by surprise. The two people coming from the street pushed the attackers away from Anya and fought them off. The others that were standing closest to Lexa, staked them with speed and efficiency. Lexa's instincts took over and she resumed her fight alongside the new and unexpected allies. Some enemies were even taken down from above by crossbow bolts. Less than a few minutes later, there were no hostile beings remaining. The person responsible for the air-to-ground help slid down the building with what looked like a rappel device and stood a little ways from the rest of the group. One of the figures approached a still dizzy Lexa and revealed their face.


	3. Meet And Greet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa gets to know her newfound allies, and they are led to a place where Lexa will meet some interesting new people...

It was a dark-skinned woman, with what appeared to be war paint going up in intricate figures across her cheeks.

“Slayer.” the woman said; Lexa recognised in her tone the authority of a leader, for she had heard the same in Anya’s. “Pardon our late arrival. There are many things we need to talk about.”

Lexa blinked, her brain still recovering of the commotion. The night kept getting more and more surprising. However, she remembered:

“Anya,”she said, and looked around.

The two figures were still close to her, one standing up, looking out into the street, while the other had knelt down and was seemingly looking at the older woman, analysing her bruises. The woman who had addressed Lexa hissed and her hand flew to her stake.

“Hey, you! You're not with me, what are you doing here?”

In response to that, the standing figure turned their head and the others took out their weapons again. The person who was still kneeling answered,

“It's a long story. All you need to know for now is that we wish to help. Your friend is wounded and hospitals would ask too many questions. We have a doctor close by, let us help you.”

He had a deep voice, calm and encouraging. Lexa was worried, but somehow felt like she could trust that man. And he was right about hospitals.

“What are you?” the dark-skinned woman asked.

The man stood up and sighed, holding up his hands to show that he wasn’t armed nor willing to fight.

“My name is Lincoln, and this is Trish. Please, we mean no harm, let us help.”

He had said that last part looking into Lexa's eyes, and even through the darkness Lexa could see the honesty.

“You didn't answer my question. What are you?” She asked again.

Lexa looked at the motionless body of her only friend and snapped.

“Listen. My friend here is wounded. She needs medical attention, and I probably do as well. We'll ask questions later. For now, Lincoln, Trish, take us to this doctor of yours.”  And, as an afterthought, she added, nodding to the woman: “My name is Lexa. I don't know how you knew that I'm the slayer, but you were right about it. You don’t have to come if you don’t trust them, but the well-being of Anya, over there, comes first to me right now. She's my watcher and my friend. I'll address the other questions later.”

“We need to talk, Slayer. I'll accompany you with my group of fighters, just in case, and when your friend is certain to be safe we'll talk.”

“Alright. "

Noise outside made them look towards the streets. A couple vampires were coming towards them, but the one called Trish went up to them and fought them back with high speed and efficiency. Lexa was surprised. She wasn't very tall or very skilled, but she was strong. And fast.

An idea popped up at the back of her mind and Lexa felt it could be true, but she made sure not to mention it. Indra and her people were already tense at the idea of following strangers, no reason to make them attack them out of an assumption. Especially since Anya’s life could be hanging in the balance. Somehow, Lexa knew Indra probably had the same idea as her and was relieved she hadn't said a thing either. Lincoln picked up Anya in his arms and Lexa walked up to them to stay close to her Watcher. Indra signaled her people, who went up to her, and began walking behind Lexa.

Lincoln and Trish arrived at a graveyard and led them to a crypt, going inside, and activating a mechanism. The group walked into the opened secret passageway. Indra's fighters grew more restless as they walked in, bewildered by the ignorance of where they were going. They got to a larger room after following their two guides through a hallway and Lincoln called out to somebody named Abby, who came inside the room. She looked at Anya andgestured at Lincoln to follow her with what Lexa perceived to be a small sigh.

Lexa immediately went in as well. The woman looked at her and directed her gaze to Lincoln again.

“Is this...”

“Yes.”

“Well, we definitely weren't expecting that kind of situation, but we'll have to do with.”

She started to inspect Anya, who Lincoln had laid out on a stretcher.

Then, looking again at Lexa:“I am Doctor Abigail Griffin. Your friend will be alright, just a headache for a couple days and that's it.”

“Thank you, doctor Griffin.” Lexa answered politely, visibly relieved.

She hadn’t noticed how her shoulders were tensed up until she felt them relax. There was nothing but silence for a couple of moments, which felt uncomfortable.

“I understand you may have questions, but I am asking you to not overreact when I tell you this...” The woman started, but Lexa interrupted her.

“I know you are vampires, Doctor Griffin. I had my suspicions when the girl named Trish fought some of them, back in the street, and then it appeared you're living underground in a cemetery, which pretty much confirmed what I was thinking.”

Silence filled the room again. The two vampires were surprised that the Slayer didn't stake them when she had the chance, or let Indra and her friends kill them.

“All that matters to me right now is that Anya is alright. And Lincoln here seems peaceful, I decided to trust him until I am given a reason not to.”

“Oh. Alright.” the doctor said visibly relieved. “You can call me Abby, by the way.”

“Thank you, Abby. I'm Lexa. And, as you probably figured out already, I’m the Slayer.”

A groan coming from the table signalled them that Anya was waking up, and Lexa immediately kneeled beside her.

“Lexa...” Anya groaned, her hand going to her head.

“I'm here, it's okay, we're safe,” Lexa said, rushing to the side of her friend and mentor. “It's a long story and it involves benevolent vampires and very skilled human fighters, but I'll tell you all about it later. All I want to know right now is, are you okay? How were you there?”

“This will be a major hangover, but yeah. And as to how, I... saw one of them.” Anya answered with a sigh, one hand going up to where her head had hit the wall. “He was following you from afar, and gestured to the rooftops, which led to him being accompanied by others. I knew I had to make sure you either knew or were okay. I'm sorry I didn't see that they were so many.” she sat up, groaning in pain, both from the bump in her head and her shoulder, and Abby told her that she most likely had a hairline fracture on her collarbone, and she had to take it slow for the next days, because of the bruise and muscle damage that came with it.

Lexa tried to ease the tension. “Well, you were awesome, and you saved my life, so thank you.”

Anya let the smallest smile escape, and Lexa caught it. Both were glad the other was okay. Abby glanced at Lexa, taking in her wounds, some already slowly healing due to her enhanced metabolism.

“Clarke?” Abby called out, “Could you come here and take care of the other patient?”

“Coming, mum!” was the answer.

A door opened to the right. Lexa looked at the newcomer, who did the same, stopping in their tracks when they looked up at Lexa, who took in the sight.

A woman. Well, no, a girl, just like her. Both frozen in each other's eyes, dark brown hair and forest green eyes meeting those the color of the sky and hair the color of the sun both long forgotten, that the person facing Lexa would never get to see again.

“Hi,” she let out, her voice lower than needed; barely louder than a whisper.

“Hi,” The blonde girl answered, looking for a second just as lost as Lexa.

The latter figuratively shook herself away from the entranced state she seemed to be in.

“Clarke, right? I'm Lexa. Pleased to meet you,” she extended a hand.

“Likewise.”

They shook.

Silence settled in for a few instants, before Clarke broke it, gathering the medical supplies needed to care for Lexa's various bumps and bruises.

“So, you look strangely peaceful for someone who knows we are vampires,” she was cut short by Anya.

“Wait, vampires? What are we doing here?”

Lexa glared at her mentor, peaceful and motionless under Clarke's hands. Anya, on the other hand, looked unsettled.

“For now, we are getting fixed up and they saved us out there. Them and Indra, who obviously isn't one of them.”

“I swear, Lexa, you find help in the strangest creatures...” she started with a sigh and after a short moment: “people.” She corrected, with a glance at Clarke and Abby.

Clarke paused, tense.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Clarke said, her expression and tone transparent to what she was feeling.

Anya gave Lexa an appointed look and Lexa turned to Clarke.

“Oh, nothing against you at all, believe me.” Lexa reassured Clarke. “My watcher here is teasing me about something that happened a couple months ago, it's a long story. But, who knows, I might share it with you sometime. There's nothing to worry about here.”

At that, Clarke seemed to relax. She finished up with Lexa, and both her and her mother let the two girls know that Abby was going to meet with the “council”, which made Anya wince. When asked about it, she simply said that the only other Council she knew wasn't really made up of her favorite people in the world (in truth, her words were more along the lines of _“bunch of stuck-up, holier-than-thou old white men too scared to get their hands dirty, who never fully shared the knowledge they had because it was their way to control everyone and remain relevant.”_ ) Lincoln and Clarke, vampires that looked younger, couldn't help but let out a laugh, while Abby tried to hide an amused smile and an agreeing nod.

Anya decided to get back home and sleep off her injuries. Luckily, she didn't have to work the next day and therefore could take the time off to heal. Lexa opted to stay in the underground place that was referred to as “The Ark” – Clarke had said it before leaving, saying that she had to “attend to business” – as to assess whether its inhabitants were as friendly as it seemed, as well as to talk with the dark-skinned woman that was still waiting for her.


	4. Similar pasts, different paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa finally meets the rest of Indra's crew, and a special encounter makes her recall her past...

They met in the large circular room right after the stairs that went up to the crypt. Some of Indra's group had left, probably as to not appear too threatening; they were now six. Lexa examined the group. They were all in good physical condition. Each of them sported war paint, that was worn differently by each, seeming to be personalised. All women but one. They appeared to the untrained eye as an eclectic bunch, but Lexa’s knowing gaze saw the deeper mechanisms of their group. Indra, as the leader, was seated in the middle of them, the rest close to her but with a respectable distance. The only boy among them was seated to her right, with two women after him, and the last two people were on Indra’s right side. Their position was open and they made no effort to hide the most visible weapons they were carrying. A smart and almost nonchalant way to show that they weren’t looking for a fight, but could definitely handle themselves if one arose.

They had moved chairs and tables into a square, so that everyone could see each other. After small inquiries on how the Slayer's mentor was faring, being that Indra met Anya for a few moments showing her the way out and the remaining of her group volunteering to escort her, all sat down and started talking in a low tone. Lexa was seated next to a dark-haired girl that constantly looked around her suspiciously. She was of the ones who fought the most foes earlier and Lexa gauged her. During the fight, her skills weren’t as honed compared to, for instance, the two girls that seemed to be having a private conversation on the other side, but she made up for it in enthusiasm. All the abilities she had used back then were human, yet Lexa's instincts were telling her that there was more. But what? Lexa let her thoughts wander, her eyes fixed on the girl.

Her green eyes had a fire in them that Lexa had rarely seen. The two of them almost had the same color hair and eyes. Lexa smiled internally at their similarities. She made a mental note to talk to her whenever she could, if only to find out where her strong will to fight comes from. The lock of her jaw showed bravery and the jut of her chin a slight defiance, but when put along the fact that she looked slightly younger than Lexa, it was a giveaway of someone who had to stand up for herself from a young age. Lexa knew it all too well, for seeing it on herself. And if the fighter was like Lexa, then she knew that neither of them liked authority, except when really justified. Lexa listened to Anya because she was her Watcher and mentor, and had shown that her guidance was well-intended, as well as necessary to Lexa. But the Watcher Council, for instance, had none of Lexa’s respect nor her obedience. To get the Slayer to do something, the Council always had to ask Anya, and she knew how to make them concede whatever she wished for. The other girl probably listened to Indra in the exact same fashion that Lexa listened to Anya.

The first time Lexa met Anya, Lexa was but a child and just another potential who had been sent out by her caretakers to be taught what a Slayer had to know, in case she was chosen. For Lexa, it had been an orphanage. From what she had been told and could understand, her parents most likely had her at too young an age and didn't want to care for a child, so she was left there in hopes that a family would take her in. It hadn't happened yet and when she was almost seven, the watchers came and took her away. She was not alone in the room, because the Council had decided to search for the potentials and explain the situation to their parents. Since that decision more parents were inclined to let the council educate their children, even if it meant separating them from their family. They were standing in a room, quiet, scared of what was going to happen, all children about Lexa’s age. Then the doors opened and watchers came in. They looked at them, attempting to discern which had the highest chances of becoming the slayer and which didn't. Being a Slayer's Watcher was an honor, but some were obviously not willing to take the risk, and were actively looking for the least likely to get that “chance”.

Anya was one of the only women in the room and the youngest. As soon as Lexa laid eyes on her, she noticed how different she was from the crowd surrounding the children, circling them, and constantly mumbling comments.

She was standing some distance away, quiet, leaning on the wall near the entrance. Her eyes were mathematically analysing every child one by one. There was a dignity to her that Lexa had never known. The other watchers had condescending looks towards the children. To them, they were nothing but pawns, their inferiors in knowledge, and therefore there was no reason for them to have any type of consideration towards them. The woman there was still and she seemed to have respect for the young ones in the room. She didn't smile a motherly smile at any of them, of course, but she didn't think that they were going to be burdens to teach. She saw them as students, beginners, and Lexa knew that she didn't discard any of them as the would-be Slayer. But each watcher could only pick one kid, so were the rules.

Lexa had the same lock on her jaw already, and some form of disdain towards the adults there. She had seen the same attitude in parents offering to be a foster family, wondering which child would be the easiest. Then her eyes met Anya's and Lexa froze. Brown met green and it was as if the woman could read the child's soul. After a couple seconds where Lexa tried to put on a disdainful face, to no avail, Anya moved. A few steps, then she knelt down without losing an ounce of her grace, and the two were face to face. Anya never broke eye contact as she moved easily through the crowd, just like water flowed or the wind blew.

“What is your name?” she asked, her voice calm, her tone the same as if she was talking to an adult.

“Lexa,” was the only thing that escaped the young girl's lips, and Anya smiled the smile that Lexa had grown so acquainted with over the years.

“Hello, Lexa. My name is Anya. I will be your Watcher.”

She extended a hand that Lexa took mesmerised. She led Lexa to her car and then to a house, where a room had been prepared. The whole place was austere, but it was to be Lexa's home from then until now.

That girl sitting next to her, though at a distance to stay close to her group, seemed to have lived a life like Lexa's. She hadn't even noticed that she was being stared at, as she was looking at Indra, listening to every one of her words. Lexa smiled internally as she saw her hypothesis proven right then and there. The pupil's position was tense and she no doubt knew that the people living down here were not humans. Still, none of the fighters sitting around the table were expressing obvious animosity. Lexa adopted the same sitting position as them, making sure that her trusty stake was easily accessible, like she always practised. No Slayer should be caught without a weapon.

“Slayer,” Indra called. Lexa's eyes snapped towards her. “What do you see?”

Lexa knew what to answer. Anya had asked her the same question often.

“They're not hostile as far as I have seen. They don't carry weapons, except for the people who wear specific gear, which must be their guard. I saw one in the hallway as Abby left their med bay. The walls are strong, ensuring that the ceiling doesn't collapse onto them, which would have a high chance of flooding the room with light, since the crypt they're using is partly falling apart and well-exposed to the sun. The exposition is likely to be one of their defense mechanisms as to not be found, since it wouldn't strike a vampire as the logical choice to pick a resting place this close to what could kill them. They seem pacific and organised, and right now they are having a council. The rest of this place is likely made up of tunnels, most likely towards living places for all the inhabitants, and other exits. It is nearly impossible to assess how many of them are here, but we have met more than six of them, be it guards or the people who helped us. And there is a council, which implies a government with more than one complete leader. As for why they gave us their help, there is no way to know for sure, but most likely they need mine – or ours – for something.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa noticed the boy nodding approvingly. _Tactician._ She thought to herself, and made a mental note of that fact.

“Very good, Slayer. I see that your Watcher has trained you well.”

“Her name is Anya. And you can call me Lexa.”

“I might. Oh, by the way this,” she pointed at the girl Lexa had been looking at, “is Octavia. She is still young compared to most of us present here, but she has shown promising abilities. The two on my left are Harper and Monroe, and before Octavia are Monty and Niylah. Harper and Monroe are two of my oldest fighters. Niylah is much younger, but her experience with vampires is very practical. Monty is a technical and tactical genius, and his help and inventions have already helped us a lot, even though he has been a member of our fellowship for the shortest time here. All of us here, besides him and Octavia, are immortal, and have for the most part additional powers. Octavia has a gift for them, but is still in the process of mastering them.”

Again, Lexa gave herself a mental pat on the back for her correct ideas. She bowed her head in greeting towards the people that had been presented to her, then, with a small smile, added:

“So you are a group of demon hunters?”


	5. The Followers Of Hera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Indra explains who her and her group are to Lexa, and they get to know Lincoln a little better.

Indra smiled at Lexa’s idea.

“In a way. We are called the Followers of Hera. I created this fellowship a long time ago, as the Greek gods started blooming. Our aim is simple, yet noble. We teach people threatened by supernatural beings to defend themselves, with no expectations of rewards or payment. The satisfaction of knowing we helped protect someone and their loved ones, and the fact that they know it was because of us, is thanks enough. Sometimes, those we helped decide to join our ranks, so that they may give to others what has been given to them. The members are all different. As I said, we sitting here almost all have powers and are immortal, but some of our fighters aren't, and just serve the fellowship for the duration of their human lives, which is every bit as honourable.”

“Forgive my curiosity, but why Hera? And why is it that I have never heard of you?”

“No need to apologise. Hera is the queen of the gods and has a matriarchal role. She was scorned and quick to anger. Her fire burned many people who only existed because of her husband's errors. As her followers, the idea is to right wrongs, but also, and mostly, to protect people from being hurt. If nothing is done that wounds someone's heart, such as a demon hurting someone's family, there is no reason for revenge, and therefore no reason for other people to get hurt. If you protect someone from one attack, then teach them how to repel further ones, they will be happy. And if they can protect their family correctly, then they won't throw themselves in a suicidal attempt at revenge. Also, as queen of the Gods, Hera had to watch over the action of those who could be seen as her subjects, which is another part of our duty. We watch over supernatural activities, punishing those misbehaving and deserving punishment, and leave alone or encourage those who don't. The reason why you've never seen us is different. Our missions are alike, but our origins are different. Slayers existed before the Followers of Hera, and were already overseen by an authority. These Watchers did not like what I was doing, convinced as they were that I was compromising a calling. They refused to share knowledge that was needed, and ever since us Followers have kept a distance from your kin and theirs.”

“Then why find me now?”

“Something is stirring. Something big. And we may need all the help we can get. Also, your watcher has shown to share some of our views about the Watcher Council withholding information to stay in control. If she agrees, she might even help us gather some of the knowledge we need. We have collected facts over the centuries, but more of it rarely hurts,” Lexa nodded.

“I haven't noticed much, but I have heard the same. I must admit though, being the Slayer means demons hardly want to say anything to me. I appreciate you telling me this. As for sharing information, you will need to talk to Anya, but if your intentions are truly as noble as you said, I have no worries.”

“Thank you, Slayer.”

“You mentioned powers and immortality?”

Indra let out a slight smile that only Lexa caught, used as she was to Anya's. Those smiles were rare, but Lexa noticed them every time and knew what they meant. Her heart swelled at the display of pride for the recruits that Indra had just shown. That woman had devoted her life training people like them and Lexa knew that she had kept those sitting here with her for a reason: Two of her oldest recruits, two younger but promising ones, all immortals, and the last one being human. Most likely because Indra wanted to show her that she wasn't just meddling with only immortals and because Lexa's duty is to protect humans, thus showing they shared a common goal. Another possibility could be that she kept him because he truly was extremely gifted. Maybe all of those reasons at once.

“Yes,” Indra answered. “Nearly none of us are vampires, and those of us who are all have their human souls and aren't in danger of losing them. Incidentally, they come from specific tribes who had figured out charms, seals, runes, and other ways to ensure they wouldn't lose their souls. So, when vampires attempted to turn them, their bodies couldn't be possessed by demons, since they were already occupied. It happened more than once, and those who sought that type of immortality for the wrong reasons were dealt with. The rest grew on to lead peaceful lives, or joined our ranks. Others were granted immortality for being werewolves, shapeshifters, mages, and other things of the like. They had a long time to learn how to control their powers, and the Followers of Hera can count on them. I trust everyone sitting here.” She added after a pause, looking over her recruits. Lexa glanced around swiftly, and saw pride shining in everyone else's eyes. She nodded.

“Very well. It is good to meet you and your team.”

She bowed her head to the people around. A vampire entered through a room and both Lexa and the younger girl, Octavia, jumped to their feet. The others remained seated and Lexa heard the standing follower swear under her breath. She sat down, head bowed, as Indra let out a discrete sigh. Lexa chose to keep her standing position. The vampire, who Lexa recognised as Lincoln, greeted them all with a nod before speaking.

“Good, you are getting acquainted. By now I have no doubt you all know we are vampires, though I can assure you that, even though I cannot speak for everyone from the Ark, me and my people do not wish you harm.”

Indra stood up. “How many of you are in here? And what do you mean by your people?”

Lincoln had a small smile, which made Lexa frown slightly. This man seemed to know more than he was letting on. Thankfully, he started to answer and explain right away.

“I’m not sure I am allowed to give you precise numbers on the amount of Arkers here, but the whispers I’ve heard indicate that some of them know who you are. Some are still demons, technically, although they have lost their hunger for chaos long ago. As for Trish and I, on the other hand, we belong to a tribe whose belief revolves around the Spirit of someone. We were attacked by vampires who were trying to build a conquering army, and-”

Indra interrupted. “Wait, I know this story. The legend of the Gishtil. They killed some of them, mostly the ones too old or young to be of any use, but almost all the rest were turned. However, when they awoke, instead of an addition of fellow demons, the vampires were attacked from the inside by ensouled immortals, who kept them busy until morning, sacrificing themselves to the sunlight as to ensure the safety of the neighbouring villages…”

Lincoln's small smile appeared again. Lexa saw the glint of pride and sadness in his eyes as he spoke.

“Yes. However, not all that remained of us died from the sun. I was a good hunter, and wished to stay and fight, but our surviving elders and the others wanted me to escort the younger ones and the remaining scholars away when our attack began, so that we may preserve our beliefs and our ways. I was to ensure their safety. Trish was the youngest they didn’t kill, barely fifteen, and was like a little sister to me when we grew up, which I believe was why they chose me. I spent most of my days away in the woods, scouting the forest and bringing back some prey every now and then, although we had been breeding cattle that was enough. I was an outsider, and I took her under my wing when her parents died in winter. The village could provide for all of us, but I always liked to know that I could survive on my own, and even more that I could care for people. We have been by each other’s side ever since. We’re family. The rest of the ones I call my people, however, are mostly not of my birth tribe. Most of those now live scattered through the earth, keeping all that we know safe.”

Lexa had moved to lean against the wall and her eyes were going back and forth between Indra and Lincoln. The woman’s eyes had widened at the realisation during Lincoln’s story.

“You’re… You’re one of _them_? The original ones?”

“Yes, and I indeed don’t look my age. I did not want to join the Ark at first, but when I understood that the people I grew acquainted to were really aiming for the greater good, I accepted. They are the ones I call my people today. Abby, Callie, Miller, Wells, Clarke… They’re the ones who convinced me to stop roaming the earth.” Lexa’s eyes snapped back to Lincoln at the mention of Clarke’s name, but nobody noticed, and for that she was glad. She also understood easily why Lincoln would get along with them. From what she had seen of Trish, Abby, and Clarke, she expected the rest of them to share the same calm ideals.

“Abby left for a council. Who are the other members?” Lexa asked, knowing Anya would like to know.

“Marcus Kane, Cole, Kaplan, Muir, and Fuji. They all advise our chancellor, Thelonious Jaha. I know Abby well enough, but the rest less so. My gut tells me that Kane isn’t that bad of a man, but he was a soldier as a human, and kept this habit of always going strictly by the rules. Kaplan and Muir knew each other before they were turned, and it happened to them at the same time. They often have the same point of view on things, and luckily neither of them want our community to be noticed. Muir mostly backs Kaplan up when it comes to decisions, he is a good strategist and knows what to do to stay under your radar. As for how we feed, since we are a large community and you probably wonder how we manage to survive, that we owe to Fuji and Cole. They used to work respectively at a hospital and a slaughterhouse, and knew how to pull the right strings so that we get both blood and, in Fuji’s case, information about strange killings, should they happen. Muir and Cole also hang out around some of the demon bars in town, it’s a good intel source. So you’ve probably seen them already. They’ve seen you, at least. They have a lot of respect and praise towards how you do your job.”

“Duty,” Lexa corrected, eliciting a frown from Lincoln and a nod from Indra.

“Is there a difference?” Lincoln asked.

“If it’s a job, you are paid for it and that has an influence on your taxes. Also, you’d most likely have colleagues or people to whom you talk about it. Being the Slayer is not a job. It’s a duty. I didn’t choose to become that, I’m not paid for it, and I cannot be fired. The only way I could lose my job is by dying. Also, not something you’d hear about in a normal conversation with humans. But I do take it seriously, and I appreciate that even vampires can admire the way I fulfil this duty.”

Lexa glanced at Indra. She was nodding approvingly and her companions did the same, a serious expression of respect and agreement etched into their faces. Lincoln kept quiet for a little while, before doing the same.

“Lincoln?” Lexa asked, and he looked up. “What was their council about?”

He shook his head, an apologetic expression on his face.

“I’m not sure, to be honest. I’m not allowed on councils, you’ll have to ask Abby or one of the others,” he answered, shrugging slightly.

“I will, thank you. There is one last person you haven’t told us about in there. Your chancellor, Thelonious Jaha.”

Lincoln nodded and complied, “He’s… Harder to place. I know that the whole council wants to keep the Ark safe, but I cannot speak for everyone when I say that we want to _protect_ humans as well, but we definitely do what we can to not get involved with them, at least out leaders want us to. Jaha’s laws are rather… Strict. We are not to fraternise with humans in any way. Those who have over the years were, let’s say, dealt with. Harshly.”

“You mean they were executed?” Indra interjected, her sentence more an affirmation than a question.

“Yes,” Lincoln answered after a few instants of hesitation.

Lexa and Indra understood that he must have lost a friend or more to that law.

“Then why not change it? Surely if you have friends within that council, friends who share your ideas, they’d try to make these laws fairer, knowing that people die over this?”

“No. And I understand that they don’t. Loving a vampire is hard enough as is, but imagine having to see the one you love falter with age, get sick, or die. Turning humans is heavily frowned upon, because – unless they are of my kin or helped by one of us – there is no way they’d stay themselves, there are not many ways to give a vampire it’s soul back. Our way is scarce and hard, another is more done with the aim of torturing said soul, another is… Well, the chances for the vampire to die from it are drastically high, and the rest I have not seen. And even if it were possible to ensure a vampire would keep its soul, our laws forbid transformation anyways. We have enough of a hard time keeping our numbers fed, and we only manage to do it enough so that we do not turn into something monstrous and ravenous, murdering the first human we find, over and over again, for us to take even more people in. This is all that we can do to ensure anything resembling safety for our vampires as well as humans. Moreover, imagine that the secret gets out. If there is one thing humans do the best, it’s create wonders of destruction should they ever feel threatened. They may be weaker, but they win by numbers. Some of us have seen Salem first-hand, and believe us, we don’t need nor want another bloodbath.”

Lexa and Indra nodded at the same time.

“Glad to see we are on the same page, Gishtil Baltu.” Indra said, and Lexa could see pride and relief – most likely linked to the fact that Indra didn’t call Lincoln “Vampire” this time – in Lincoln’s eyes, and in the way he slightly puffed his chest.

“Thank you, Follower of Hera,” he bowed his head and she did the same.

“So, if I understood correctly,” Lexa started, and immediately all eyes were on her in a respectable yet expectant silence, “this place is called the Ark, and while your numbers are relatively high in terms of vampire gatherings, you do not wish to be an enemy of mine, and instead live peacefully, maybe even help me keep this earth safe?”

Lincoln agreed.

“I can’t say I dislike it, there are enough enemies I must fight as is, and-” she turned to Indra, “I would be a fool to turn down help in this matter. I am sure Anya will agree.”

She looked around the table. She had a plan at the back of her mind and was about to set it in motion, hoping it would work the way she wanted it to.

“What are your thoughts on the subject of the council?”


	6. Fun And Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa discovers Monty's hidden talent, and they finally meet the leaders of the Ark.

At first, only silence answered her question, until the one called Monty cleared his throat and straightened himself up in his chair. After looking up at Indra, who nodded, giving him leave to talk, he set his hands on the table, joining his fingers, and spoke, first hesitantly but soon gaining assurance:

“I think they might be discussing what you just mentioned, whether or not they wish to help you. As we now know, their principal aim was to stay secret and the help they gave us tonight seems to have been more of a last-minute, emergency choice from Lincoln and Trish, than a deliberate, voted plan from their council, which explains the sudden need for a gathering.”

Lincoln bowed his head both in approval and in impressed respect for the boy’s wisdom. Monty went on. “So now that we know their existence, they have to decide whether we are not too much of a risk, as well as what they can and cannot tell us, and if they plan on helping us further, or ask us to leave them in peace and secret. Because helping you – and us – would reveal both them and where they stand, which could threaten them severely.”

Lexa could see that both Indra and Monty’s kinsmen were impressed, which made her smile inwardly. She had noticed that Monty, being the sole “simple” human of their group, was more closed off and hesitating and she had hoped that her question, although she had her own ideas on the answer –  which were the same as the one Monty gave – would give the boy an opportunity to both, show why he was an asset to the Followers and how his place among them was well-deserved. He seemed to be a promising tactician. Lexa made a mental note to speak to Anya about it, seeing that they definitely could learn from each other. She was already able to imagine how much Monty could profit from someone as wise and trained in strategy and knowledge as Anya, assuming that Indra would give him leave to learn a thing or two from the Watcher. Indra turned to him.

“What do you think we should do, Monty?”

At first surprised by the question, Monty straightened up shortly afterwards, and answered with more assurance.

“I think that we have little ground to worry so far, if they had wanted to eliminate us they’d have tried to do so already. I believe that the better choice would be to depend on the Slayer – I mean, Lexa – on this one. This way we can show that we trust and stand beside her, and if they are willing to help her, then our help will follow too. If they refuse to help, our engagement changes little and she still has us to stand against what is coming. Also, having her as our spokesperson might give us more strength if the need came to argument. This way we are not a third party and we state that we stand for the protection of this planet and its inhabitants, just like her. Once they come back from their council and if they want to help, most of us could leave, save one or two, showing that we trust they won’t try to harm us, but still stand with the Slayer. Lexa would need to stay as well in this scenario, to discuss what to do next with them. That way, since there would be three of us, she isn’t alone and can appear to have more weight. Especially since some of these vampires could know who we are and why siding with the Slayer could be hard for us because of our relationship with the watcher council. This would show that we definitely are here for the greater good and able to put differences aside should a common fight and enemy arise.”

Again, Lexa saw pride in Indra’s eyes.

“Very well, Monty. If the Slayer agrees and if the Ark’s council makes this decision, we shall go according to your plan. Lexa?” She asked, her eyes now looking at her.

“I think it’s a good plan, for all the reasons Monty already explained. I am willing to go according to it, but I wish to choose the two of your followers who would stay with me, if I may.”

Indra tilted her head, visibly intrigued.

“You may, Slayer, I am curious to see who you pick for the task at hand.”

Lexa had a small smile and immediately answered, her choice already made.

“I would like that Monty and Octavia stay. I believe their skills would help me the most here.”

Everyone around the table looked surprised, the two Lexa named the most of all, and Indra the least.

“Very well, I would not consider this a bad choice, though the deeper reasons you should tell them yourself, in private. And now, we wait for their council to come back. Lincoln, do you have something that could help us pass the time? Something all of us could take part in?”

Lincoln first paused, then smiled, and asked the group to wait a couple minutes, before coming back with a deck of cards and some dice, setting them on the table, taking a seat in the available space between Octavia and Lexa.

They spent the next hour playing cards, only interrupted by the arrival of Clarke, to Lexa’s surprise and concealed pleasure. She explained that she had been listening in on the council a little, but that they were arguing a lot on whether the Slayer and her allies should be sent out right away or given information. When asked about the help given, however, Clarke said that it had been made quite clear that neither Lexa nor the Followers of Hera would get active help. What they could see themselves being given is information, but so far – and Lincoln made a mental note to thank Abby for that input – any active help given would have to be given externally of the community, and would mean an excommunication – though temporary – from the Ark, as to protect it in case it backfired. Lincoln invited Clarke to join them in their card games, and she grabbed a seat to take place in the available spot between Lexa and Monroe, the latest being civil enough to not distance herself from the vampire. Lexa could see Clarke immediately relax at that show of goodwill. Lexa also admired both her and Lincoln for sitting down amongst them, since everyone present knew that, should the Followers or Lexa decide to attack, neither of the vampires would survive. Both Clarke and Lincoln really wanted to install a climate of trust between them. The question was, who else in the Ark did as well?

A few more games later, Clarke and Lincoln told them that they should put the cards away and get up, as their heightened senses told them that people were coming, and that it must mean the council was over. Cards were put away and everyone stood up, grouping behind Lexa, relaxed but wary, Lincoln and Clarke slightly away from them. Abby and what Lexa assumed was the rest of the council entered the room, preceded by some guards.

“Good evening,” a dark-skinned man spoke, “My name is Thelonious Jaha, and I am the chancellor of this congregation most call The Ark. We have been discussing the situation, and what is to be done about it. We will tell you as much as we can without putting our community’s safety in jeopardy and in exchange we expect you to leave us in peace and to not betray the trust we put in you by leading this enemy to us. None of the vampires here are hurting humans, and if one does, we see to it that they are dealt with, so we hope that this show of peace and goodwill is enough for all of you to let us be.”

Lexa realised that she was now appearing as the leader of the group standing with her, whether she had wished it so or not.

She acquiesced, “My name is Lexa. I am the Slayer. The people with me are a small part of the Followers of Hera, who will help me face what is to come. Your assistance is appreciated and so long as we have no reason to do otherwise, we will leave you in peace.”

“Thank you.” Jaha bowed his head. “Very well. Will you follow us to a more private room? This is very unprotected from indiscrete ears.” He added, eyeing Lincoln and Clarke.

“Of course.” Lexa answered, nodding at Indra afterwards.

Indra’s group left, except the two Lexa had wanted to keep. Jaha dismissed the guards, and asked the trio to follow him. When she turned around, Lexa could see that Clarke was worried about her abandoning the larger part of her guard, but she sent her a small, reassuring smile. She knew that, should anything arise, Octavia and Monty would be able to help.

Monty was indeed looking around and he seemed absent-minded, but Lexa knew that he was mapping as much of the place as he could. Lexa’s senses made her notice a few vampires trying to catch a glimpse of the visitors from the corner of corridors extending away of the route they were in. They got to a smaller room, probably the chancellor’s apartments, and Jaha signalled to the two guards outside to make sure no one was trying to come in. He also nodded to his council and all of them left the room. Abby made sure to swiftly salute Lexa on her way out, which she was glad about. They now were alone with chancellor Jaha.

“I see that both of us had decided to lessen our numbers so that there was no prospect of threat between us. I appreciate the sentiment and I know you do too. So, without further ado, here is what has been decided. Beyond the information I will give you, we will not help you further. If anyone amongst the Ark wishes to do so beyond that point, they will have to do so as a solitary vampire, and walk away from here, as to not put the rest of us in danger. I will make sure to get the message across to every member of the Ark later tonight.”

He took a deep breath and started.


	7. Information and decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa, Octavia and Monty talk with Chancellor Jaha, and they come to an agreement.

“From the information we have gathered, the Ark is not the only vampire gathering around here. There is another one. We do not know where it is, but we do know that they are organised and hostile. What you encountered tonight was a group of them, and it’s good that they were all taken care of, for we have reason to believe that they didn’t know you were the Slayer, and still don’t so far, since they were all killed. As for what they are organised towards, it’s another question we do not possess the answer to, but a theory is that they want to capture humans to throw themselves into the blood trading business. They must be stopped. We won’t be able to let you enter here after tonight, in case they realise you are onto them and follow you here, but if we find out more that we can reveal, we will send you a messenger.”

Lexa nodded, thanking the chancellor again for their assistance.

“I’m really glad we got to this point, your help is appreciated, Chancellor Jaha. I would like to thank your council too. As well as Lincoln, Trish, Doctor Griffin, and her daughter Clarke, for their help back on the surface and for tending to my Watcher’s wounds. We will indeed leave you be, there is no reason for us to cause you trouble or harm as far as I know.” She looked at Monty. “Any advice you would have for me?”

Monty looked surprised, but it was soon replaced by pride, “I think it would be smarter for us to make sure we have a way to know that, if a vampire tries to find us to talk, we know it’s an ally. A symbol, or a word.”

Jaha looked impressed and Lexa made sure to let Indra know that her protégé managed to surprise the leader of the Ark.

“Well thought, young man. What do you think we should use?”

This time, it was Octavia who answered.

“Oppenheimer.”

All turned around, slightly surprised. She shrugged.

“Oppenheimer is the guy who came up with the quote ‘I am become death’. Rather fitting with vampires, I’d say, since you are an incarnation of death. Also, it’s short, which makes it easy to remember and short enough so that it can be told before being attacked,” Jaha mused.

“Clever. I will make sure that any vampire who wishes to contact you, whether sent by us or on their own terms, knows it.”

‘Thank you, Chancellor Jaha.” Lexa said, closing the exchange. “Your help and hospitality have been greatly appreciated, and will not be forgotten. We won’t take up more of your time now, so that you may explain the situation to everyone else and give them time to choose. Also, I believe you will agree with me that the shorter the time we spend here is, the safer.”

“I do agree, Slayer. It has been a pleasure to get to know you. And your allies,” he added, nodding to them.

“The pleasure was shared,” Monty added, as Octavia nodded back.

As they stepped out of the room, Jaha signaled to the nearby guards who then escorted the team back to the main room and to the stairway leading outside. From the corner of her eye, Lexa caught Lincoln and Clarke. The blonde-haired girl had a discrete wave and Lexa reciprocated with a small nod. She also caught Lincoln’s eyes looking in Octavia’s direction and smiled internally. It was good to know that they had at least some people who were definitely on their side.

 Once they had gotten outside and gotten away from the crypt, Lexa spoke up, "I think we should go grab a drink somewhere, so that we may talk undisturbed and unhindered by any kind of situation or protocol.”

Octavia agreed slightly too eagerly, her curiosity obvious, but Monty hesitated.

“Shouldn’t we just get back and report?”

Lexa had a small smile. The boy’s loyalty was both impressive and endearing.

“Well, she didn’t give me a specific time at which to bring you back, and I still have to patrol. You two could help me, I’m sure Indra would even appreciate your commentary and observation of my technique.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa saw Octavia’s excitement at working with the Slayer and getting some action, and she noticed that she had caught Monty’s interest as well. Since they now both agreed, Lexa took them to a well-frequented bar. There, she grabbed them drinks and sat at her usual spot, gesturing to them to sit down as well. Once they were all settled, she bit the bullet.

“Thank you for coming with me. Now, I believe I owe you an explanation as to why you two were the people I wanted with me.”


	8. Bar Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Monty get insight into Lexa's choice, and teambuild the best way a Slayer knows: killing vampires and patrolling the streets. Also, sharing drinks, a meal, and having a sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile since a chapter has been posted, sorry about that! Here's the next chapter and hope you haven't lost hope in this story because it's gonna get real good!

“You, Monty, I believe you already figured out why. You’re a tactician, and while you’re quiet, and I assume that it is because you’re self-conscious about being the youngest member and having no powers, you’re very clever. I knew that had anyone tried to do something to betray us, you’d have seen it coming and would've been able to get us out verbally or by knowing the way out by heart. Which I noticed you were doing while going towards the Chancellor’s quarters. You’re a great ally to have when anything involving negotiations or plans are needed and you’re humble enough to not assume all of your plans are perfect, which allows you to have backup ones. And I’m sure you understood as well that the fact that you are neither their leader nor their strongest member physically has put us at an advantage. You didn’t need to intervene back there, as you knew what they were about to do, and therefore your abilities remain unknown to them. Not taking your leader with me also got them into thinking that I am still rather detached from your group although willing to join forces and maybe slightly boastful to believe that I can ensure the safety of two in a cave full of them,” Lexa smiled internally as Monty nodded at every point she raised.

“You’re completely right, Slayer. That and they might now believe that we Followers have decided to be your subordinate, which would explain the small detail and lack of another leader. They could believe that we’re under your orders and therefore don’t need to defend our personal interests, since they are yours. So the Followers remain a force that is completely unknown to them except for a couple faces. Although I completely believe that they will make sure to ask the two vampires who helped us in the alleyway to tell them everything in detail,” Monty stated, earning Lexa’s agreement again.

Octavia interrupted.

“Lincoln and Trish won’t reveal any information that could put us at a disadvantage. I’m sure of it. As he said, he joined because they shared the same peaceful ideal. He wouldn't reveal something that only people at war would need,” she said.

Both Lexa and Monty heard the complete confidence in her voice. She was inclined to trust him already and Lexa would be lying if she said she wasn’t. Monty agreed as well, adding that Lincoln did seem like an “honest, trustworthy guy”. Octavia thanked him, and Monty shrugged it off, only answering that complete mistrust would only earn them enemies. Octavia then turned to Lexa, shoulders squared as if she were aware of an incoming blow but didn’t know where it would arrive from.

“Alright, my turn.” was all she asked.

“I will be entirely honest, one of the biggest reasons why I wanted you on my side was because I was curious. You intrigue me. I also knew that you're a very good fighter and gifted with skills that, even if not entirely under your control, could be useful. You’re also slightly protective of Monty, which I noticed as we made our way towards the crypt and later on to the Chancellor’s rooms. You want to keep your team safe, especially those whom you know would struggle most. It is a characteristic that I appreciate a lot. It’s also one that a Slayer has to have in order to be a good one. You care.”

They stood quiet for a while, although pride soon shone slightly on both of the Follower’s faces. They thanked her for her honesty and compliments. They spent the rest of the night helping Lexa detect, and in Octavia’s case, take down since Lexa didn’t want to deny her the pleasure of actively helping the vampires who were trying to use the bar’s relaxed atmosphere and potent drinks to their advantage. There weren’t many spots to drink in the town and since the recent “animal” attacks, most people were either avoiding going out or staying in groups. This bar had a high clientele of younger people, which made easy prey for them and Lexa knew it well. They patrolled the streets as well, but altogether only found a couple of them. None that seemed to be working with others.

As the sun started rising up, Lexa, Monty, and Octavia made their way to her and Anya’s house, Lexa having offered to let them rest there or contact their mentor using the house’s phone. Once they got there, Lexa had difficulties hiding her smile at a small message her mentor had left on the counter. She read the round calligraphy she always admired. Anya really had a pretty handwriting, and it looked so intricate yet so easy. It reflected her personality well. A very rich character, yet straightforward in her ways.

_'Went to bed instead of the couch to rest better. Food is in the fridge. I expect some of the others went with you, so there’s more than usual. Good night.' ~ Anya._

Opening the fridge, Lexa saw that there were more portions than usual. She gave some to Octavia and Monty, who gratefully accepted. Night work was hungry work. Afterwards, Lexa led them to the living room, which had a couch and an armchair one could split down to make a bed. Going into another room Lexa grabbed a foldable bed. She then quietly went upstairs to get blankets and pillows to drop down to the two Followers, who installed them. They tried to insist that Lexa could just leave them down there, but she said that she’d rather spend the night with them. It was a night bonding experience. The beds ready, however, they didn’t waste time in pillow talk, but went right to sleep, exhausted by the events of the evening and night.


	9. Breakfast Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Lexa are woken up by the enticing smell of breakfast. Anya and company talk about Octavia's backstory, and Anya makes an offer Octavia won't turn down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy ^~^

A few hours later, the trio was awoken by the enticing smell of a rich breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, toast, and various other homemade goodies coming from the nearby kitchen. Lexa, being used to the routine of only getting a few hours of sleep in the early morning and then napping some more later in the day, was almost directly on her feet as soon as she woke up. On the other hand, Monty was sniffing the air while still asleep which was at the same time that Octavia groaned at the daylight flowing in through the windows before she sat up, taking a deep breath, and rubbing the sleep off her eyes. A tired smile soon stretched on her lips once she remembered where they were and that the food was close. Lexa was looking at her from next to her bed, a small smile on her lips, and a nod once Octavia’s eyes locked with hers. Her dark hair was messy from sleep and Octavia tried to run a hand through hers to tame it, unsuccessfully. Lexa didn’t seem to mind, instead signalling to Octavia to make her way to the kitchen with her so that they may share breakfast.

In the kitchen, Anya was placing the last plates of food on the large countertop. The Watcher was wearing grey sweatpants and a black tank top. Lexa was wearing almost the same clothes, although hers were completely black. Octavia hadn’t changed from her worn-out dark jeans and T-shirt, having only discarded her leather jacket so as to not sweat while sleeping. She had a small but warm and welcoming smile for the two girls when they entered the room and sat down in front of the buffet Anya had made. Everyhting was done in a comfortable, natural way with Lexa and Anya sometimes exchanging glances. Once they had eaten their fill, leaving some on a plate for when Monty decided to get out of bed, they went on to talk. First, Lexa gave a report of her patrolling, mentioning Octavia’s and Monty’s participation and explained all that had happened once she had gone from the crypt. Anya’s face grew concerned at the news of another vampire convent, with a more aggressive habit, but soon went back to her usual impassable self. She asked a few short questions, that both Lexa and Octavia gave answers to and noted that Indra had given a phone number to contact her; which she had immediately done so as soon as she got up to let her know that her two followers were at her house. Lexa looked over at Octavia, amused at seeing her gradually realise how similar their respective mentors were. Consequentially, the conversation between them was easy and balanced, Octavia’s shoulders straightening with pride when Anya mentioned understanding why Lexa would want her by her side, until Lexa asked why.

“Well, you always go for familiarity, a known face is always more likely to be chosen, in a sea of strangers.” Anya answered, unbothered, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing.

“But I don’t know Octavia, we only met last night.”

“No, you didn’t, you two have met before.”

“Wait, what?” They answered both in unison.

Anya’s features lit up in bemused realisation, “Ooh, you don’t remember. This explains why you two seem so surprised.”

“Enlighten us, then?” Lexa asked, giving voice to Octavia’s burning curiosity.

“Lexa, do you remember the day I took you with me at the Watcher’s headquarters?”

“Always, every day.” Lexa answered immediately.

After a second of surprise, Anya went on, “Well, Octavia was there too. A few steps from you, in fact. You looked similar even then, and it’s how I recalled her. You haven’t lost that similarity that I found in either of you all this time ago.”

Lexa looked at Octavia, and their eyes met for a second, searching each other’s faces for that similarity that Anya saw between them, Lexa having found some of it last night already.

“You haven’t told me that you were a potential.” she said, her sentence more of a question than a reproach.

Octavia’s features darkened, the ghosts of grim memories behind her eyes.

“I was. Well, am, I guess, it hasn’t gone away, but the chances of me being the slayer are very low, since we’re about the same age, and – hopefully – not going to die anytime too.”

“I hope as much. But how are you are a member of the Followers of Hera, then? Don’t they sort of have something against partnering with the Watcher Council?”

“I was with a Watcher. Well, at first. I was picked by a woman named, Aurora Blake after you two left. I remember Anya and her more than I remember you, because the women amongst the Watchers were rare.”

Anya had paled at the name, and Lexa didn’t fail to notice.

“What happened?”

“I… She missed a detail. Do you remember how they explained that taking us in at a young age was supposed to help us be ready sooner as to not be taken by surprise should one of us get chosen? Well, turns out that some demons followed her. Once she was back in the hotel she was staying in, it wasn’t long until they started beating down the door. She got me to hide under the floor before they got inside, but she didn’t manage to get rid of them. The Followers arrived shortly after, but they couldn’t… They couldn’t save her. But they did save me. Indra took me in right after, she taught me to defend myself. I’ve been a Follower ever since.”

Silence settled in, before Anya spoke.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that, and even more at such a young age, Octavia. Aurora was a good woman, she was a friend of mine. The news of her death was quite a shock. I didn’t know that she had chosen you. If it means anything, I can assure you that she’d be very happy to know you’re alive and well. She’d be proud of who you are.”

Octavia nodded.

“Thank you for saying so. It does help, in a way. What happens there fuels me, partly. I don’t want to be unable to protect someone anymore. I won’t let that happen again. So, I’m glad that you believe she’d think so. I assume you two shared the same views and open mind about us and your Council.”

“We did.” Anya assured her, apparently impassable and focused on her.

Octavia had caught the split second where she had looked at Lexa, when Octavia had said that her inability to protect her Watcher was something that fueled her.

She smiled internally, Lexa’s words from yesterday echoing in her head. _You intrigue me._ Anya was right, they were similar. Maybe she should ask Lexa about it too, seeing that she had come clean about it.

Monty interrupted their conversation by shambling into the room and delivering a sleepy “Hello” that sounded more like a groan than English and the women saluted him as well. He had no way to change either and was therefore still wearing jeans and a T-shirt that looked slightly oversized on his lanky figure. Then his eye caught the food garnishing the various recipient and his eyes widened. He sat down right away and started to eat like he hadn’t had any food in days. The others exchanged a small, bemused smile, before Anya spoke to Lexa:

“Well, we might have guests, but we still have a routine to take care of.”

Lexa’s expression went back to serious and she stood up at the same time as her mentor. Octavia did the same a moment later, looking Anya over and taking in the bumps and bruises of the Watcher.

“I have some training to do as well, would you mind if I came along?” Anya looked her up and down, and had a slight grin that strongly reminded Octavia of her own mentor.

“You could do more than that, actually. I think that the woman in the Ark was right when she mentioned a hairline fracture. All of us will agree that the last thing to do with those is strain it and sparring with Lexa would do just that. Would you mind doing it for me? That way you’d both get some really interesting training and I could maybe provide some useful input.”

Octavia and Lexa’s eyes met. Her mask had fallen back on as soon as Monty stepped inside and she now looked impenetrable. Her eyes now naught but filled with determination and focus. Her features were as impassable as her Watcher’s. Neither of them had showed much in the way of emotion when Octavia was around, other than Anya’s slip up after Octavia’s backstory and the moment they shared watching Monty wolf down the food, but now it was back to a blank slate. Octavia adopted the same expression, smiling internally at the knowledge that the three of them had shared a moment that was most likely extremely rare. Monty, on the other hand, seemed to only be paying attention to his food. Octavia took a deep breath, and accepted Anya’s invitation with some barely concealed excitement at fighting the Slayer.


	10. Berserk Mode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa and Octavia fight, and unexpected things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been really busy, but I'm back with another chapter! Hope you like it!

They stepped out into the small backyard, lit by the bright morning sunshine, and Anya let them know that Indra was expecting Monty and Octavia to be back in the afternoon. They had therefore a full morning of training before them. Lexa got started right away, a little bit more determined now that she had the added incentive of making the best impression possible. Octavia followed the acrobatic poses as best as she could, observing Lexa intently to understand the best course of action.

 

She could already feel her muscles straining, and it showed on her concentrated face and the beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. Lexa, on the other hand, let nothing show.

 

Octavia got a second wind out of seeing their training as a challenge, but Lexa had a lifetime of practise with these same exact poses, as well as a higher strength and stamina. A small part of Octavia - that she would never admit to - was actually relieved that Lexa held longer every time. She was the slayer, after all, and if Octavia could easily best her, it didn't bode well.

 

After yoga, tai chi, and some warm ups to a fight on the punching bags, Octavia and Lexa felt like the time had come to go toe-to-toe with each other. Anya handed out her usual protections to Octavia, who at first wanted to refuse but eventually took them after a stern stare from the Watcher. Lexa, with her quick healing, didn’t need to wear anything besides the usual wrist wraps, but Octavia was human, and everyone present knew that Indra wouldn’t like to get her protégée back full of bumps and bruises. They both stood at each end of the training area, having moved the rest of the equipment tothe side, and Anya stood between them, in the middle.

 

“The rules are simple. Fight, do a clean takedown if you see an opening, and don't hesitate to strike. If you lose, be ready to admit what you did wrong. Don’t try to hurt your opponent just for the sake of hurting them. That’s about it. You both know how sparring works. Let’s go.” She stepped out, leaving the area to Lexa and Octavia, sitting under an opened window and watching them both with undivided attention.

 

 

Lexa and Octavia took a few steps towards each other and started a slow circle, constantly facing each other. It was Lexa who landed the first blow, opening Octavia’s guard with one arm, hitting her – protected – sternum with a flat palm, which sent her stumbling backwards, and sweeping under her feet with one leg. Octavia landed on her back. A second later, Lexa’s knee was on her chest, keeping her in place, one fist raised to deliver the final blow. She brought it down but stopped a hair away, letting her knuckles brush lightly against Octavia’s cheekbone, then jumped back on her feet. Lexa held out her hand to help Octavia up, and the Follower reluctantly took it.

“Mistake?” Anya asked, her voice devoid of mockery nor praise.

“She’s too fast for me.” Octavia grumbled. She'd lost pretty quickly and was bitter about it. Anya shook her head.

“False. I’m able to counter that move, and while a small part of why is indeed due to the fact that I have seen it before, it’s mostly combat skills." She turned to her student. "Lexa, what was Octavia’s mistake?”

Lexa locked eyes with Octavia.

“You hesitated for too long.” She explained. “The longer you’re not sure about getting into the active part of a fight, the more you lower your attention and guard. So, while my higher speed could have indeed helped, I already had the element of surprise by attacking first without you knowing when and waiting for it.”

“Correct.” Anya said. “Ready to go again, Octavia?” She asked.

Octavia nodded, jaw set, and went back to her fighting stance while Lexa did the same.

She was the first to attack this time. A right-handed punch that Lexa easily dodged while hitting her arm forward and stepping closer, tripping her. Octavia didn’t fall, however, and launched herself up and towards Lexa’s chest. The air left the Slayer's lungs in a cough and they both fell on the ground. Lexa saw that Octavia was kneeling over her and used the opportunity and sudden closeness to try and wrestle Octavia down by wrapping her arms and legs around the smaller girl, twisting to revert their positions. Octavia wriggled, strategically at first, but soon frantically to get away from Lexa’s grasp. After a while, both laying on their sides and rolling over each other, Octavia started to lose room as Lexa’s grip tightened into a lock. She was laying on her back, Octavia's arms held flat along her torso, Lexa's legs around the other girl to restrain her movement. Anya interrupted them.

“Break!” She simply said, her voice full of authority.

As soon as she heard the word, Lexa was letting go. Octavia, however, took a couple more seconds and, since she was still using all her strength to get out, Lexa’s sudden lack of grip allowed one of Octavia’s elbows to break free, which flew up at full speed and strength into her cheekbone. Lexa let out a short groan of pain as her head was thrown backwards and hit the ground. She pushed Octavia off of her and stood up, staggering a few steps back and lifting a hand to the already reddening part of her face, squinting under the pain.

“Crap, sorry.” Octavia let out, looking down as she got on her feet.

“It’s fine.” Lexa said, her tone calm although her expression slightly betrayed that she was in pain. “It happens.”

She noticed that Octavia’s hands were still curled in fists, the knuckles white under the strength of her grip. She frowned, but Octavia didn’t notice.

“What was your mistake this time, Octavia?” Anya asked, her voice as calm as Lexa’s, although they exchanged a look of worry. Lexa shook her head. She was fine, she could handle more. Octavia shrugged.

“Honestly, I don’t know. This usually works when I’m training.”

“Well, first, you were predictable. Lexa and I saw your right hook coming a mile away. Also, try avoiding close combat as much as possible. While you throwing yourself onto Lexa could have been a good move, if she had been a vampire you’d be dead. Being this close to an enemy leaves you wide open to any weapon they have, including their body parts." After a second of pause to let the advice sink in, Anya spoke again. "Also, not to twist the knife in the wound, but when I say ‘break’ I expect you to break. Immediately.”

 

Octavia hung her head, but still nodded. Lexa took a long, quiet breath, focusing again, and waited for Octavia to get ready before she went back to her fighting stance. The place where Octavia’s elbow had hit her as well as the back of her head ached, but Lexa was alright. Looking at Octavia, though, Lexa wasn't sure the same could be said for her sparring partner.

 

She recognised the familiar look of rage that she used to get whenever she was struggling. When it happened, flashbacks of memories that she definitely didn’t want to see, especially then, assaulted her mind. She saw how tight the girl's fists were, and something suddenly made sense in her head. Lexa let out a short sigh and prepared herself, pushing the unpleasant memories away. She would need to talk to Anya once she was done. She couldn’t keep pushing everything down.

 

Her Watcher gave them the signal, and Lexa braced herself. Octavia attacked first again, but Lexa saw the blow coming and dodged. Octavia stepped forward and tried to go for a direct hit towards the Slayer’s stomach, but Lexa blocked the attack and shoved Octavia backwards with her shoulder, putting some distance between them. Octavia didn’t let it allow either of them to catch their breath, however, and went right back to Lexa, going for the same kind of body slam she had used before. Lexa dodged at the last second, pivoting on her foot and letting Octavia pass her by.

 

It took Octavia a few steps to right herself again, but she didn’t give up and, with a grunt, ran right back towards Lexa. She let attacks fly, Lexa blocking them and trying to put some distance between them, that Octavia closed every time the taller girl managed to. Lexa knew what was going on, and was wrestling with her own demons at the same time as doing all she could to keep Octavia from landing a punch – or kick – on her.

 

Octavia was losing control.

 

Lexa knew how seeing someone get hurt and not being able to help could haunt every waking hour - and the dreams - of anyone, regardless of their strength. She felt the same way. However, she realised now that Anya was right when she said that an enemy smart enough could use it against her. Octavia was blinded by her need to take down her opponent, and not paying attention to the fact that she could get herself hurt – or killed – in the process.

 

Lexa felt how tempting it was to let go, and give in to that anger.

 

She had the upper hand no matter what, if she really needed to, she could just let her own rage take over and her higher abilities were an advantage that Octavia couldn’t do a thing about nor against, but doing so would just be hurting someone for the sake of hurting them, and it wasn’t what Lexa wanted. It wasn’t what she was trying to do, and it wasn’t what her duty was about. She had to control herself and, while some small part of her didn’t want to admit that Anya was right all along, the bigger part of her was completely aware that it was the case. She needed to control herself.

 

In the distance, she could hear Anya’s voice asking them to break, but she knew that Octavia couldn’t hear her in the state of blind rage that she was in. So, she focused on blocking Octavia’s attacks until she saw an opening. It would require for her to let Octavia hit her so she could strike, but even if Octavia had been a demon the blow wouldn’t have been fatal, so she knew that Anya wouldn’t even see it as a mistake.

 

Lexa clenched her jaw and let her opponent’s fist collide with her already hurt cheekbone. She let her head accompany the blow, softening it, and pushed Octavia’s arm away, turning her around and making her lose her balance. Lexa then went for a hit behind the knees to make Octavia fall down, and went for an arm lock, hoping that it would be enough to stop her.

 

When she felt Octavia struggling again, she realised that it woudln't, and she had to let go to keep her from dislocating her elbow and shoulder. She pushed her farther on the ground, Octavia now laying down on her stomach, and Lexa used her knees and arms to make sure that she wouldn’t be able to shake her off and stand back up. Her higher strength made her able to keep an unwavering grip, and, even though she tried to struggle, Octavia couldn’t break free.

 

 

After a while, her fast breathing and vain attempts at freeing herself from the hold subsided, and Lexa could feel Octavia coming back to herself. Anya had gone silent when she realised that Octavia wasn’t going to stop, and she decided against speaking up just then. Lexa let go of Octavia and stood up, extending a hand. Octavia ignored her and stood up by herself, her features frozen in anger. Lexa decided to ignore the sharp pang of sadness and tried talking to her.

“It’s okay, I know what happened, I- “

Octavia cut her short.

“You _don’t_ know what happened. You have _no_ idea.” Her words were sharp, venomous. “You _don’t_ understand. Nobody does. So don’t give me any of that ‘your mistake’ bull. I don’t need your unjustified feeling of superiority. I’m going back to _my_ mentor now, to train with people I actually can learn something from.”

 

She turned around and started leaving without a second glance at either her or Anya. Lexa wanted to stop her, but decided against. She remembered the way she felt when Anya was telling her how she shouldn’t let her feelings get in the way of her reasoning and duty, what now seemed like long ago. Octavia needed time to cool down. Hopefully, she would come around afterwards and give Lexa a chance at a conversation.

 

She sighed and turned to Anya, who had stepped closer. Now that the adrenaline from the battle was going away, the pain was even more present. Lexa let her fingers brush against the painful spot, her eyes not leaving the door that Octavia had gone through. Anya let her hand settle on her friend’s shoulder.

“I’ll take care of the rest, take five.” She went inside.

 

Lexa sighed, taking some comfort in the warmth that Anya’s hand had left on her shoulder, and went to sit down, finishing up her water bottle and taking off her wraps. After a few minutes, Anya came back outside with an ice pack.

 

“Octavia is mostly quiet and still angry, but the quiet inside helped her settle down a bit. She did ask me to tell you that she was sorry about your face, so that's some progress at least. I took the liberty of telling her that you understood what happened better than she thought. You two will probably need to talk about it at some point. She still wants to go back to Indra, though, but I suspect that it’s more to debrief with her than because she’s mad at you.”

 

Lexa nodded, quiet. Anya sat down next to her and laid a reassuring hand on her arm, her other hand applying a gentle pressure on Lexa’s bruised cheekbone with the ice pack. Neither of them spoke, the two women just taking comfort in the silence between them. Lexa wordlessly thanked Anya for the physical contact, and Anya thanked her for not taking her arm away in the same fashion.

 

 

Minutes went by before Lexa took a deep breath and spoke up, her voice quiet.

 

“That’s what you were telling me not to do. Octavia’s mistake. It’s what you were warning me about.”

“Lexa…” Anya started, hesitantly. Lexa shook her head, wincing when it made her apply pressure on her bruise. Anya's hand wavered, before coming back.

“Don’t, you were right. I didn’t see it then, didn’t understand, but I let it fuel me too much. I was training harder, sure, but only because I wanted revenge against everything. I was pushing myself because of it, but not in a good way, out of spite instead of will. I believed that I could never make a real difference, that I would never be able to protect anyone, if I kept the same level of training." She paused, taking a steadying breath." I started seeing that it was a mistake last night, when I saw you laying on the ground. The same feeling started to take over and I just wanted to take as many as I could down before they got me. The Followers intervened shortly after that, so I couldn’t entirely give way to what I felt, but it got me thinking. And when Octavia was fighting, I saw how many mistakes she was making because she did. If I had let it happen to me when we were sparring, things would have gotten ugly." Lexa let their eyes meet, nothing but sincerity in hers. "I’m sorry I snapped at you, I didn’t realise how much trouble it would get me in. I can’t let my anger control me. You were right, I have to separate feelings from duty.”

 

Ever since Lexa had started talking, Anya’s breath had caught in her throat. She knew that _now_ was the time. Lexa was trying to open up. So she let her thumb brush against Lexa’s forearm and took the ice pack away, listening intently. After a sigh, Lexa started again, her head hung.

 

“I loved her. Costia. I wasn’t sure if I ever could and then there she was. She took a chance in me, and I in her, and for some time we were happy. Then the vampires saw that she was a weakness, and took her away from me. They hurt her, killed her, and then made sure that I got a good look at her lifeless body. They made sure that I realised that they’d always be looking for a weakness and that they would use each one they found against me.”

 

She was clenching her fists now, and Anya laid her free hand on one of them to soothe her. Lexa inhaled sharply.

 

“I didn’t know what to do or say, so I stood quiet and did the only thing I could. I used that rage to become stronger. But I can see now that it was the wrong way to go about things. I must stay focused. I can’t just let it go, but I can’t let it consume me either. I’ll add it to the reasons I fight, but I can’t let it become the one and only reason I do. The dead are gone. It’s the living that needs protection.”

 

 

After a few minutes, Anya let go of Lexa’s hand, that had since then relaxed, and used it to turn her face towards her, looking into her eyes.

 

“I’m really proud of how far you’ve come, Lexa. And honoured that you told me. You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. You’ve got me. Always.”

 

She had added the last word after some time, letting the long-unsaid words finally escape her, ignoring the way her stomach turned at the idea of being pushed away. Lexa's breathing was shallow, and Anya knew that the feeling was new to her as well. They had shared many moments together, but they’d never discussed what they meant to each other. Now they were, and it was both scary and liberating.

 

“Thank you, Anya.” Lexa said. “For standing by me all this time. And for giving me a home and family.” Anya nodded.

“Of course. You do the same for me.” They exchanged a small but honest smile.

 

Outside, a car was coming up the driveway. The two women stood up, and Anya inspected the bruise one last time. It was already showing signs of healing and she was glad about it.

 

The air around them seemed lighter, too, now that they had let go of words unspoken for too long. Anya went inside to let Indra in – she had guessed it would be either her or another follower there to pick up the two guests – as Lexa went upstairs to take a quick shower. It was probably better if her and Octavia didn't bump into each other just then. The car left a few instants later, and she came down afterwards, still drying her long dark hair, having changed into comfortable clothes for their day off.

 

“They left fast.” Lexa noticed. Anya nodded.

“They had a lot to talk about.” She explained. “Although Indra did give me their address, so I believe that you’ll be the one paying them a visit next.”

“ _We_ will.” Lexa corrected. “If you want to, that is. I’m sure you’d find a lot of interesting stuff to discuss and learn there.”

Anya shook her head, a small contrite smile on her lips.

“I’m a Watcher, I doubt they’d agree to that.”

“I won’t give them a choice.” Lexa stated. Her voice, so full of assurance, made Anya chuckle. Lexa was smirking, and Anya knew that the bond between them was even stronger now than it ever was.

“Then we’ll go together, they wouldn’t dare go against you, not with everything that’s going on. Did you stretch?” She asked, and added “Good” when Lexa gave her a nod. “Well, there’s space in this couch for two, and you’ve performed well today, so I’ll let you pick a movie while I make us both lunch. After everything that happened last night I’m sure you need a day off too.

 

Anya made her way towards the kitchen while Lexa plopped down on the couch, remote in hand, already filing through the selection. Her and Anya had similar taste in movie, and she eventually settled for a new Action/Comedy movie. They liked to call out the various mistakes made during fight scenes, and comedy was light enough for a morning viewing session.

 

Anya came back with a tray of various foodstuffs and sat down next to Lexa, humming approvingly at her choice. They let time pass them by without obligations, comfortable and happy in each other's presence.

**Author's Note:**

> For questions/prompts/comments (that you don't want to/can't post below this fic), you can find me at prongsandpens.tumblr.com  
> A big thank you to my beta reader CaroMel13, find her on tumblr at hollstein-trash-ftw.tumblr.com


End file.
